Femme It Forward, a female-led music and entertainment company, announced today the launch of Next Gem Femme, a new mentorship program aiming to accelerate career opportunity and trajectory of young women of color. Femme It Forward developed Next Gem Femme to help the many people looking for meaningful actions to improve equity in their industries and workplaces. The program is designed to pair promising talent with women who are currently at the forefront of their fields and has over 100 leading industry executives signed on as mentors from an impressive list of companies including Amazon Music, Apple Music, iHeart Media, Atlantic Records, CAA, Capitol Music Group, Maverick Management, Columbia Records, Endeavor, ICM Partners, Interscope Geffen A&M, Live Nation, Pandora, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, Viacom Digital Studios, Revolt Media, Essence, WME, YouTube, and more.
The program is focused on long-term development, with each mentorship beginning with a one-year partnership and the opportunity to build moving forward. Throughout this time, mentorships will aim to balance exposure to real-time projects and scenarios with ongoing professional coaching, résumé-building, industry insights, networking opportunities and relationship building.
“Women succeed when we support each other, and as a company dedicated to celebrating the depth, power and talent of women in music and entertainment, we have a special responsibility to cultivate the next generation of female leaders in the workplace,” said Heather Lowery, founder and CEO, Femme It Forward. “We are at a pivotal moment for progress, and if we can help more women pay it forward there’s no telling how much we can accomplish together.”
The inaugural program will include 200 female mentees of color, pursuing undergraduate / graduate degrees or currently serving in entry-level positions. Next Gem Femme is planning to award at least 100 of the 200 mentee spots to students from historically Black colleges and universities. Mentees will also be able to apply for scholarships, book stipends, food stipends, and other financial aid.
Femme It Forward launched as a female-led event series in 2019 before expanding to a joint venture with Live Nation, spotlighting the industry’s most creative and accomplished female visionaries, both on-stage and behind the scenes.
The application process for mentees will begin in May, in time for the program’s August 2021 launch. For more information on how to apply please visit www.femmeitforward.com.